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Posted on 03/16/2004 12:00:43 AM PST by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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King Tiger  The Tiger II was also known as "Tiger Ausf. B" or "Königstiger" (King Tiger) and was the last major tank design to see service during the war. The original Tiger design was finalised before the Russian T-34 was encountered so it lacked the excellent ballistic shape which was a feature of the Panther. The Tiger II went into production late in 1943 and was first engaged in action on the Russian front in August 1944 and was later encountered by the Allies in France in August of that year. It was born of a demand from the Waffenamt (Army Weapons Office) in August 1942 for a redesigned Tiger tank incorporating thicker armor, sloped plates to deflect shots as on the Panther and T-34, and armed with the 88mm L/71 gun, which should be capable of dealing with any new tank development that the Russians could possibly produce.  Tiger II with Porsche turret Both Porsche and Henschel were asked to submit designs to these specifications. The Porsche design (VK 4502P) had alternative layouts with the turret either well forward or at the back of the hull. It was to mount the longer L/71 KwK 43 gun as in the Elefant tank destroyer. At first the Porsche model was considered for production and the construction of turrets by Wegmann of Kassel for this vehicle began, but due to the shortage of copper required for the parts in the electrical transmission this tank project was cancelled. The Waffenamt also rejected the electric drive as unreliable and too sophisticated for service conditions.  Adding camouflage colours The second design from Henschel (VK 4503H) was powered conventionally like their Tiger I and was accepted. The project was put in hand as a top priority effort and the first prototype was delivered in November 1943. By that time the Panther II had been designed, and under the new rationalisation policy it was decided that as many parts of the Panther II as possible had to be incorporated to standardise design features between the two vehicles. Production of the Tiger Ausf. "B" began in December 1943 on the Henschel production line, parallel to that which was building the Tiger Ausf. E. The first production models began to reach the Army late in February 1944.  Tiger II of the "Feldherrnhalle" Panzergrenadier Division (1945) Henschel remained the sole builders of the Tiger II during its whole production life. By September 1944 Tiger Ausf. E production ceased completely in favour of the new vehicle. Production was scheduled to reach a rate of approximately 145 per month, but disruption by enemy bombing and shortage of materials reduced the best ever monthly output to 84 in August 1944. By the end of the war 487 Tiger IIs had been produced. The first 50 Tiger IIs to be completed were fitted with the spare turrets originally intended for the Porsche Tiger. This turret had a curved front mantlet and a bulged commander's cupola on the left side. The remaining vehicles had a Henschel-designed turret, having thicker armour and eliminating the re-entrant angle under the mantlet.  The protective effect of the sloped lines The Tiger II was derived from the Tiger Ausf. E and both tanks had many features in common. At the same time it bore a much closer resemblance to the late model Panther. Common fittings included cupolas, engines, engine covers and road wheels. Compared with the other vehicles the Tiger II had thicker armor and was dimensionally larger. It incorporated various features which experience had shown were desirable; notably the front glacis plate, which was now sloped as on the Panther and T-34 tanks instead of squarely vertical as on the original Tiger. The armor protection, particularly that carried on the front of the vehicle, was the thickest to be employed on a tank that was due for large scale production. The front plate was 150mm set at a 40o angle, the turret face 180mm thick, and the side and tail plates, including the turret wall, were 80mm thick. Frontal attack of this tank, by any weapon available to the Allies, was out of question.  After completing the camouflage, the crew fit the armored mudguards. The extremely wide tracks gave the Tiger II good cross-country performance despite its excessive weight. The Tiger II incorporated all the good points of the Panther tank and armed with a new main armament, the 88mm KwK 43 L/71 which was almost 21ft long. This gun represented the largest calibre length to be employed operationally by the Germans in a tank mounting during the war. There was a small, conical Saukopf (pig's head) mantlet, and a well-sloped turret and sloped morticed armor plates making up the hull. The tanks were often covered with Zimmerit to prevent the attachments of magnetic mines.  A battalion of Tiger IIs drawn up for inspection in Paderborn-Sennelager, autumn 1944 Internally the vehicle followed the usual German layout with front sprocket drive and crew positions as for the Panther. The big turret had several interesting features; it lacked the usual basket and was built out very wide over an immense 73inch diameter turret ring. To assist in loading the big ammunition rounds carried, 22 rounds were mounted in the rear turret bulge, thus giving the loader a minimum handling movement. Power traverse was as for the Panther and Tiger.  Tiger of sPzAbt. 'Fernherrnhalle' in Budapest, spring 1945 Suspension was by torsion bars and it followed the same type of arrangement as in the Tiger Ausf. E. However, the wheels were overlapped rather than interleaved as on the Tiger. This change was adapted to simplify the maintenance problems which had been inherent with interleaved road wheels. Similarly, the tendency for the wheels to freeze solid with packed snow was obviated to some extent. Steel-tyred resiliently sprung wheels (which featured a layer of rubber between two steel tyres) were standard on the Tiger II as on the late models Tiger Ausf. E and Panthers.   The early-style turret.............The Serien-Turm (series turret).
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So long ago. And at the same time, not so long ago.
The problem was that in the initial training, the Russians accustomed the dogs to being fed under their own tanks. Once the dogs were turned loose to do their jobs for real, off toward the German lines they went, until they heard the familiar sounds of the T-34's Diesel engines rather than the gasoline engined German tanks. In general, a Diesel is considered advantageous, since it offers longer range, easier maintenance, and less flammible fuel. But the circumstances in this case were an exception.
Nope. A few days later, I was asked if I could repeat the details of our conversation, and narrate some photographic slides of Tiger IIs and some flip charts detailing various Tiger II performance specs. It eventually became obvious that the idea was a Diesel engine retrofit into a Tiger II. Oh, and did I have any problem carrying out this project in civilian clothing...the Air Force would happily give me a ride, along with my presentation material, in a brand-new U21a King Air waiting for me at Frankfurt's Rhein-Main Airport. What had I gotten myself into.
I gave my presentation [another surprise: I had an interpreter assigned to help me out] and fielded a bunch of questions about the possibilities, and was addressed as *major* a couple of times, suggesting another reason I'd been sent in civvies. I'd have been a very young one, but it was possible if I was a direct-commissioned Ordnance officer, I guess. Or maybe they were just being polite.
But when I got asked about the length of time a conversion to an 850 HP Diesel motor would take, I offered the weasel-out answer that it would depend on whether it was a one-of-a-kind prototype project, or a series, and if a series, the question of how many would be a factor.
There was no pussyfooting around by my hosts. Eight, I was told. About 6 months, I answered back.
But I'd love to know if it was ever done. I'd love to know if there were eight Kingtigers still soldiering on into the late 1960s, maybe even the 70s. I have my suspicions.
Now think about having a company of 16 of them coming at you, with their friends, rifle grenades or bazooka or not.
Her loss. ;-)
Pvt. Towle, motivated only by his high conception of duty which called for the destruction of the enemy at any cost, then rushed approximately 125 yards through grazing enemy fire to an exposed position from which he could engage the enemy half-track with his rocket launcher. While in a kneeling position preparatory to firing on the enemy vehicle, Pvt. Towle was mortally wounded by a mortar shell.
LOL. No it won't.
Oops! LOL
Ha! They fooled you too. Those guys are masters of disguise and camouflage.
She's probably waiting for the Leopard 2A5's to be profiled.
I wonder if my wife would object. Hmmm
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